Capitol Correspondent, Orange County Register
Capitol Correspondent for the Orange County Register
PROFILE
Brian Joseph
Guest
FROM Brian Joseph
Which Way, L.A.?
Politicians Waiting to Cash in on Special Interest Pledges With hundreds of bills to be voted on, the last week of the legislative session means chaos in Sacramento, and with hundreds of lobbyists on the scene, it's also the best time for legislators to raise money. To reveal any possible connection between votes cast and money raised, contributions are supposed to be reported in 24 hours. But the reports today on what could be a new scheme to avoid public scrutiny.
Which Way, L.A.?
Capitol Chaos A lot of Democrats who had reservations held their noses today as the State Senate passed Mayor Villaraigosa's proposal for partial takeover of LA schools . Next up is the Assembly, which is likely to go along, too. But that's just part of the madness that reigns in the last week of this legislative session with 500 bills to be acted on--some of them really important--between now and adjournment on Thursday. We'll look at how chaos becomes business as usual at the send of a legislative session and how bills passed by several committees are completely transformed and still get votes from legislators who've never read them.
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To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.